Pioneer succeeded as a 19th-century 'sculptor of women'

At the turn of the 20th Century, when a woman's most acceptable occupation was motherhood, Bessie Potter Vonnoh succeeded professionally as a sculptor, flouting convention by focusing on a career instead of raising children. Her success as an independent working artist rested on subject matter that supported traditional notions of women, which makes the Cincinnati Art Museum's current exhibition of her work all the more fascinating.